interactive system and process

ABSTRACT

A method of delivering an instruction ( 206 ) to a mobile user device ( 106 ) connected to a network ( 110 ) is disclosed. The method comprising the steps of receiving an interactive workflow ( 202 ), translating the interactive workflow into the instruction ( 206 ) in a form executable by the mobile user device ( 106 ), and sending a message ( 208 ) including the instruction ( 206 ) ) to the mobile user device ( 106 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method of delivering aninstruction to a mobile user device connected to a network.

BACKGROUND

Amongst the wide variety of portable electronic devices available today,mobile phones have become particularly pervasive, with more than doublethe penetration of the Internet. These devices have rapidly advanced incapability and can do far more than Voice and SMS. Using thesecapabilities to deliver and execute applications that providecustomisable interactivity to mobile phones and other devices is highlydesirable but continues to be a challenging endeavour due the variedtypes of largely incompatible devices and platforms on the market.

Most interactive applications for mobile phones involve either ShortMessage Service (SMS) or the development of dedicated applications thataddress specific business requirements. SMS interactivity suffers frompoor usability (the user has to be familiar with idiosyncratic commands)and security issues (SMS source addresses can be faked), thus limitingtheir usage to simple, non-sensitive transactions. Furthermore, anorganisation wishing to use SMS to interact with its customers needs tocome to some commercial arrangement with the telecommunications providerin order to establish billing procedures and so on. This can beinconvenient for the organisation, and may also be quite expensive, bothto set up and also to operate on an on-going basis.

The dedicated applications are an attempt to address these shortcomingsby developing programming code that is executed by the mobile device toperform a specific task. This involves significant amounts of time, atleast because mobile phones from different manufacturers are not usuallybinary compatible and cannot execute the same executable applications.Additionally, these applications are limited to the functionalityrequired at the time of development, and thus may not support additionsor modifications to that functionality. As can be appreciated,distributing changes to these applications is similarly quite a tediousprocess, typically requiring the user to manually download and installan updated version of the application on their telephone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method ofdelivering an instruction to an application installed on a user deviceconnected to a network, the method comprising the steps of:

-   -   receiving an interactive workflow;    -   translating the interactive workflow into the instruction in a        form executable by the application; and    -   sending a message including the instruction to the application        at the user device.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a methodof delivering an instruction to a mobile user device connected to anetwork, the method comprising the steps of

-   -   receiving an interactive workflow;    -   translating the interactive workflow into the instruction in a        form executable by the mobile user device; and    -   sending a message including the instruction to the mobile user        device.

According to yet another aspect of the invention there is providedcomputer software comprising executable directions for delivering aninstruction to a mobile user device connected to a network, thedirections comprising the steps of:

-   -   receiving an interactive workflow;    -   translating the interactive workflow into the instruction in a        form executable by the mobile user device; and    -   sending a message including the instruction to the mobile user        device.

Preferably the step of receiving the interactive workflow includes thestep of receiving the interactive workflow coded in a high levelprogramming or scripting language. More preferably the step of receivingthe interactive workflow includes the step of receiving the interactiveworkflow from an external or third party.

Preferably the step of sending the message includes the step of sendinga set of instructions for execution by an application installed on themobile user device. More preferably the step of sending the set ofinstructions includes the step of sending the set of instructions forthe device to interact with a user of the mobile user device.

Preferably the mobile user device is one of a plurality of mobile userdevices and the method also comprises the step of receiving aspecification of the mobile user device from a database comprisingrespective specifications for the plurality of user devices.

Preferably the step of translating the interactive workflow includestailoring the instruction to the specification.

Preferably the step of translating the interactive workflow includestailoring the instruction to a device operating system.

Preferably the step of sending the message includes the step of sendinga unique message identifier. More preferably the step of sending themessage includes one or more preliminary steps of compressing, encodingand encrypting the instruction.

Preferably the step of sending the message includes the step of sendingthe message via a Short Message Service (SMS) of a cellular network.More preferably the step of sending the message via SMS includes thestep of splitting the message into a plurality of messages to complywith one or more standards of the SMS. Alternatively, the step ofsending the message includes one or more of the steps of sending themessage via a Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) of a cellular network,sending the message as an IP/TCP data packet over a GPRS or 3G network,and sending the message as a data packet over a Bluetooth connection.

Preferably the method further comprises the step of the mobile userdevice receiving the set of instructions and the unique messageidentifier. More preferably the step of the mobile user device receivingthe set of instructions and the unique message identifier includes thestep of receiving the set of instructions for translation to mobile userdevice system codes by a workflow execution engine component of theapplication.

Preferably the method further comprises the step of receiving a responseto the instruction from the mobile user device. More preferably the stepof receiving a response includes the step of receiving a responseidentifier from the device. Even more preferably the method comprisesthe step of comparing the unique message identifier and the responseidentifier to confirm the authenticity of the received message.

Preferably the method includes the step of checking if the mobile userdevice is willing to receive the instruction derived from theinteractive workflow from the external or third party. More preferablythe method includes the step of sending a request to the user of themobile user device to accept the instruction derived from theinteractive workflow from the external or third party.

Preferably the step of receiving the interactive workflow includes thepreliminary step of receiving a request for an Application ProgrammingInterface from the external or third party. More preferably the step ofreceiving a request for an Application Programming Interface is receivedfrom the external or third party. Even more preferably the step ofreceiving the interactive workflow includes the preliminary step ofopening an Application Programming Interface.

Preferably the method also comprises the step of issuing a command tothe device to update or delete a sequence of instructions saved to apermanent data store on the mobile user device.

In accordance with the present invention, there is also provided aninteractive process executed by a computer system or device, the processincluding:

-   -   receiving one or more SMS messages including instruction data        representing one or more instructions for execution on said        system or device to determine information;

executing said one or more instructions to determine said information;and

-   -   sending one or more SMS messages including response data        representing said information.

Advantageously, said information may include system informationdetermined from said system or device and/or user information determinedfrom a user of said system or device.

Preferably, said execution causes generation of an interactive userinterface on a display of said system or device, and the processincludes receiving response data representing said information from auser of said system or device in response to said interactive display.

Preferably, said one or more instructions are executed by a virtualmachine of said system or device.

The present invention also provides an application component for asystem or device, the application component including:

-   -   a message receiver for processing one or more received SMS        messages to generate one or more instructions for execution on        said device to determine information;    -   an execution component for executing said one or more        instructions of said application data to determine said        information; and    -   a message sender for generating one or more SMS messages        including response data representing said information.

Preferably, the application component further includes a data managementcomponent for storing sets of instructions on non-volatile storage meansand for retrieving a selected one of the stored sets of instructions forexecution.

Preferably, said execution component is adapted to generate aninteractive display for a user of said system or device, and to receiveresponse data representing said information from a user of said systemor device in response to said interactive display.

The present invention also provides an interactive process for executionby a system or device, including:

-   -   receiving message data including header data and encrypted        payload data;    -   selecting one of a plurality of encryption keys on the basis of        said header data; and    -   decrypting said payload data using the selected encryption key.

Preferably, said header data includes index data representing an indexfor said plurality of encryption keys.

Advantageously, said payload data may represent one or more instructionsfor execution on said system or device to determine information.

Advantageously, said payload data may represent information in responseto execution of one Or more instructions on a remote system or device.

The present invention also provides an interactive process for executionby a system or device, including:

-   -   generating payload data for sending to a remote system or        device;    -   selecting one of a plurality of encryption keys;    -   encrypting said payload data using the selected encryption key;    -   generating message data for sending to said remote system or        device, said message data including header data and the        encrypted payload data, wherein said header data includes data        representing an index for said plurality of encryption keys to        allow said remote system or device to determine the selected        encryption key and thereby to decrypt said payload data.

Advantageously, said payload data may represent one or more instructionsfor execution on said remote system or device to determine information.

Advantageously, said payload data may represent information in responseto execution of one or more instructions.

Preferably, the process includes generating said plurality of encryptionkeys and sending said plurality of encryption keys to said remote systemor device.

Preferably, the process includes associating said plurality ofencryption keys with an identifier of said remote system or device.

The present invention also provides an interactive process, including:

-   -   receiving programming instructions for generating an interactive        display on a remote system or device;    -   compiling said programming instructions to generate compiled        instruction data;    -   sending said compiled instruction data to said remote system or        device to generate an interactive display on said second remote        system or device;    -   receiving response data representing at least one user response        to said interactive display; and    -   sending response data representing said at least one user        response.

The present invention also provides an interactive process, including:

-   -   receiving workflow instructions from a plurality of entities;    -   processing said workflow instructions to generate interactive        applications for execution on a plurality of user devices; and    -   sending said interactive applications to said user devices for        execution.

Preferably, said interactive applications are sent to said user devicesusing short message service (SMS).

Preferably, said user devices include mobile telephones.

The present invention also provides an interactive system for managinginteraction with users of remote systems and/or devices, the interactivesystem being adapted to:

-   -   receive workflow instructions from a plurality of entities;    -   process said workflow instructions to generate interactive        applications for execution on a plurality of user devices; and    -   send said interactive applications to said user devices for        execution.

The present invention also provides a system having components forexecuting any one of the above processes.

The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage mediumhaving stored thereon program instructions for executing any one of theabove processes.

The present invention also provides an interactive system, including:

-   -   a gateway component for processing received workflow data to        generate instructions for generating an interactive display on a        user device, the gateway component being adapted to send said        instructions to said user device for execution; and    -   an execution component of said user device to receive and        execute said instructions to generate said interactive display,        to receive response data representing at least one response of        said user to said interactive display; and to send said response        data to said gateway component.

Preferably, said user device is a mobile telephone,

Advantageously, the instructions may be sent to said gateway componentin one or more SMS messages.

Advantageously, said user response data may be sent to said user devicein one or more SMS messages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are hereinafterdescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of aninteractive system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the high level process and data flow ofan interactive process of the interactive system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a mobile telephone on which a clientapplication of the interactive system is installed;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the client application of the interactivesystem;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of the life cycle of an interactive applicationgenerated by the interactive process and system;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an application gateway of the interactivesystem;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computer system on which the applicationgateway is installed;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the process and data flow of an opt-inprocess of the interactive system;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of encryption keysets to establish an encrypted communications channel between the clientapplication and the application gateway;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the process and data flow involved inconducting secure communications between the client application and theapplication gateway;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the default behavior of theinteractive system and process whereby a particular application gatewaytransmits instructions to a particular client application, and theresulting response data is returned to the same application gateway thatsent the instructions;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram similar to that of FIG. 11, butillustrating the redirection of response data to a different applicationgateway from the application gateway that sent the correspondinginstructions;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of messagesexchanged between the application gateway and the client application;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of payloaddata of the messages shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of each datapart of the payload data of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the fifteen different typesof instructions supported by the interactive system and process;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of an SMSmessage generated by the interactive system and process;

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the interactive systemuses multiple SMS messages to transmit instructions constituting anapplication whose length is greater than 133 bytes;

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram of an SMS transmission process of the system;

FIG. 20 is a flaw diagram of an SMS receiving process of the system;

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram of an application execution process executedby the execution engine of the system;

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of responsedata sent from the client application to the application gateway;

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the system usesparameter names provided in instructions to label correspondingresponses;

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram illustrating execution branching in theclient application;

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of branch domains tolabel responses having the same parameter name;

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of a branch namestack to determine control flow;

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram illustrating the user interfacecomponents resulting from selecting different branches of an interactiveapplication;

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram illustrating the inclusion of a ‘back’button on each user interface display;

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of an executedinstruction stack to implement the ‘back’ button of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a screen shot of a user interface of the application gatewayfor entering scripting language instructions and for submitting thoseinstructions to an instruction compiler of the application gateway;

FIG. 31 is a source code listing of a function illustrating how thesystem APIs can be used to send details of a booking to a mobiletelephone for display to a user, and to receive the user's responseindicating whether they user accepts or rejects the booking;

FIG. 32 is a partial listing of a scripting language application,illustrating the use of control flow branches in the scripting language;

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram illustrating the user interfacecomponents generated from the scripting language example of FIG. 32;

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of nested userinterface displays generated by the system;

FIGS. 35 and 36 are schematic diagrams illustrating the appearance andstructure of general user interface displays generated by the system;

FIG. 37 is a schematic illustration of a slider control displaygenerated by the system;

FIG. 38 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of single andmultiple selections in user interface displays generated by the system:and

FIG. 39 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the branch names ofnested menus are used to label parameter data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, an interactive system includes at least one clientapplication 102 and at least one application gateway 104. Each clientapplication 102 is a component of a corresponding user device 106 thatcan communicate with the at least one application gateway 104 via one ormore of a variety of communications means supported by the device 106,preferably including a combination of (i) an IP-based communicationsnetwork 108 such as the Internet, (ii) a wireless wide-areacommunications network such as the global system for mobiles (GSM)telephone network, (iii) a local wireless network or link between thedevice 106 and the at least one application gateway 104, such as aninfra-red link, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network 112, and/or (v) a directcable connection 114 using a standard communications protocol such asRS-232, universal serial bus (USB), or FireWire (IEEE 1394). Theinteractive system allows an application developer 116 using a standardcomputer system 118 to rapidly develop and deploy an interactiveworkflow or application for execution on one or more user devices 106 inorder to interact with the users 120 of those devices 106, and toreceive response data representing at least one response of each user120 to the interactive application.

The interactive workflow or application includes a set of instructionsfor presenting information to a user 120 of each mobile device 106 in aninteractive display or user interface, and for retrieving each user'sresponse(s) to that information. Typically, the information presented toa user 120 will include one or more questions displayed on a displayscreen of the user's device 106 (and possibly also audio played on asound transducer of the device 106), and each of the user's responses isprovided by the user interacting with one or more user-interface (UI)components or input controls of the interactive display. Each responsecan be in the form of freeform text typed into a textbox, or the resultof the user interacting with another type of input control, such asradio buttons, check boxes, sliders, simple menus, nested menus, and soon. To some extent, these possibilities are determined by thecapabilities of the device 106. However, because the workflow supportedby the system also includes control flow features similar to thoseprovided by high-level programming languages, the workflow instructionsgenerated by the system are also considered to constitute an interactivesoftware application that is executed on the user device 106.

In the described embodiment, the user device 106 is a mobile telephone,but alternatively could be some other type of portable or handhelddevice such as a personal data assistant (PDA), and hence is alsoreferred to hereinafter as “The mobile device 106”. However, even thoughthe device 106 is described as being “mobile” or “portable”, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the systems and processesdescribed herein could alternatively be used in conjunction with othertypes of devices and systems that need not even be portable. Forexample, the client application 102 could even be installed on astandard personal computer system (rather than the portable device 106)in order to rapidly develop and deliver interactive applications to astandard personal computer, for example.

In the described embodiment, the client application 102 is a softwareapplication that is stored on the mobile device 106, either as part ofthe device manufacturing or configuration prior to sale, or subsequentlydeployed as required via GPRS, Bluetooth, Infrared or a phone specificchannel (e.g., a data cable), allowing it to be installed on a widevariety of different types of device, However, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the client application 102 and itsprocesses could alternatively be implemented either in part or in totalby one or more dedicated hardware components, such asapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field-programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), for example.

Similarly, the application gateway 104 is a software application that isinstalled on and executed by a standard computer system 122, such anIntel™ IA-32 computer server executing a Windows™ operating system. Thecomputer system 122 includes standard hardware components 702, andsoftware components 704. The hardware components 702 include at leastone processor 706, a communications interface (e.g., network interfacecard) 708, random access memory 710, non-volatile (e.g., hard diskstorage) 712, user input device (e.g., keyboard, mouse or other pointingdevice) 714, and a display adapter and device 716, all interconnected bya system bus 720. The software components 704 include the applicationgateway 104, and a standard operating system 718 such as MicrosoftWindows. Additionally, a third party application 124, shown as beinginstalled on the developer's computer 118, may additionally oralternatively be installed on the same computer system 122 on which theapplication gateway itself is located 104, as shown. However, althoughthe application gateway 104 is described as being a softwareapplication, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that theapplication gateway 104 and its processes could alternatively beimplemented either in part or in total by one or more dedicated hardwarecomponents, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) orfield-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), for example.

The client application 102;

-   -   (i) verifies a set of instructions sent by the application        gateway 104;    -   (ii) interprets these instructions;    -   (iii) interacts with the user device 106 and/or the user 120 in        accordance with the set of instructions; and    -   (iv) sends responses back to the gateway 104 or other computer        system or device.

The application gateway 104 is effectively a backend component that:

-   -   (i) maintains a database of user devices of the interactive        system (i.e., devices on which the client application 102 has        been installed);    -   (ii) generates and delivers interactive applications to the        mobile device 106 via any one of a wide range of communication        channels;    -   (iii) ensures the integrity and authenticity of outgoing and        inbound messages to and from the mobile device 106; and    -   (iv) provides application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow        third-party applications 124 to deploy an interactive        application to the mobile device 106 and to receive        corresponding responses generated by the client application 102        on the mobile device 106.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the high level operation ofthe interactive process of the system in relation to the variouscomponents shown in FIG. 1. At step 202, an external or third-partyapplication 204 executing on the developer's computer system 118 (or,alternatively, on the gateway computer system 122) calls an API 616 ofthe application gateway 104 to describe the workflow that the developersof the device 106 want to deploy. In general, the workflow includes thesteps of displaying information to a user, and then retrieving at leastone response to that information. For example, a typical workflow mightbe to display a message on the mobile device 106, ask the user to entertheir age, then display another message, and send the ago back to thedeveloper. These steps or instructions constitute an interactiveapplication for execution on the mobile device 106.

The workflow defines;

-   -   (i) one or more addresses of respective user devices 106;    -   (ii) the steps to be performed on the one or more user devices        106;    -   (iii) the address of an alternate gateway server (if any) 104 to        which responses are to be sent; if no address is given, then the        responses will be sent to the same gateway server 104 that sent        the application instructions;    -   (iv) how the response data returned to the application gateway        should be processed (e.g., returned to the developer's        application 124, sent to the developer 116 by email, stored in a        file, etc.); and    -   (v) the communication method(s) that are to be used to send the        instructions to the user device 106 and to receive the        corresponding response data.

At step 206, the application gateway 104 transforms the workflowdescribed by the developer into a compressed, encoded, and encryptedformat for transmission to the mobile device 106. The applicationgateway 104 also inserts a unique identifier or ID into the message andstores data associating that ID with the destination (e.g., phonenumber, or network address) to which the workflow is to be sent.

The application gateway 104 transforms the message so that it can betransmitted via the appropriate communication means. For example, if themessage is to be transmitted via SMS, the application gateway 106 splitsa large message into smaller messages to comply with the GSM standard.All this is hidden from the developer. At step 208, the applicationgateway 104 then transmits the message to the device 106 specified bythe developer.

At step 210, the client application 102 receives, un-compresses anddecrypts the message(s), thereby verifying their integrity. If valid, atstep 212 the client application 102 interrupts the user and requeststhat they complete the workflow. With the user's cooperation, the clientapplication 102 interprets each instruction and performs a correspondingoperation e.g., display a message, collect the user's age, etc. that inmost cases involves interacting with the user of the device 106.

At the end of the workflow, the client application 102 sends back to theapplication gateway 104 all the collected response data via the responsechannel specified in the workflow instructions by the applicationgateway 104. For example, if the response is to be returned via SMS, aresponse SMS is sent back to a phone number provided in the initialmessage(s). The client application 102 also encrypts the responsemessage(s) and includes the unique message ID to ensure authenticity ofthe response.

When the application gateway 104 receives the response message at step216, it decrypts the message and determines whether the ID of themessage is valid for the phone number it was received from, using thedestination and ID association stored previously. If the message isvalid, then it is processed as specified by the developer e.g., passesit on to a third-party application, emails the developer, stores it in afile, etc.

In addition to the above, the interactive system also providescapabilities for (i) storing (and subsequently updating) a set ofinstructions as a permanent or semi-permanent application stored onnon-volatile storage of the user device 106 for execution at any time;i.e., the application persists on the user's device; (ii) thedistribution of encryption keys; and (iii) opt-in mechanisms to ensurethat the mobile device 106 is not sent unsolicited applications, e.g.,if the application gateway 104 is shared by multiple vendors.

The interactive system and the interactive process executed by theinteractive system are described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile device 106 is a standard mobile phoneincluding hardware components 302 and software components 304. Thehardware components 302 include a processor 306, read-only memory 308,random-access memory 310, flash memory 312, user interface componentsincluding user input components 314 (e.g., microphone, keyboard, and, insome devices, touch-screen), output components 316 (e.g., displayscreen, speaker), and one or more communications interfaces 318 allowingthe device 106 to communicate with a mobile phone network 110, and, insome devices, also Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi local wireless networks or aninfrared link 112. In the preferred case of the mobile device 106 beinga telephone, the device 106 also includes a SIM card 320. The softwarecomponents include an operating system 322 such as the closed,proprietary operating systems installed on mobile telephones sold underbrands such as Nokia and Motorola, Java platform Micro-edition (Java ME)324, and the client application 102. However, if the operating system322 is a more sophisticated operating system such as Symbian, Linux,Microsoft SmartPhone, PocketPC, Windows CE, or Windows Mobile, thatprovides sufficiently powerful application programming interfaces(APIs), then the J2ME component. 324 can be omitted. As shown in FIG. 4,the client application 102 includes a message sender component 402, amessage receiver component 404, user interface (UI) widgets 406, aworkflow execution engine 408, instant data storage 410, and permanentdata storage 412. The client application 102 is a native applicationthat is executed by the mobile device 106. The client application 102can be installed by any one of a number of means, including WAP push, IPdata packets (CPRS or 3G networks), Bluetooth, Infrared, or aphone-specific channel such as a data cable. The client application 102can be provided as a preinstalled application on the mobile phone 106when purchased.

The message sender 608 sends response messages to the applicationgateway 104 in a format understood by the application gateway 104. Itencrypts the message and includes ID provided with the initialapplication to confirm its authenticity.

The message receiver 606 decrypts and uncompresses instruction setsreceived from the application gateway 104. It implements messagereception via a number of channels, including Bluetooth, Infrared, IPnetworks (CPRS or 3G), and SMS. The message receiver 606 also invokesthe workflow execution engine 408 to process the instruction set.

The UI Widgets 406 are pre-built user interface components thatinstructions sent by the application gateway 104 can use to interactwith the user.

The workflow execution engine 408 is responsible for running andmaintaining state for the instructions currently being processed. Itassociates instructions with UI widgets as well as storing input fromthe device 106 and its user. It is also responsible for invoking themessage sender 402 once the workflow is completed to initiate sendingthe response to the application gateway 104. The workflow execution canalso be invoked by a timer if an instruction asks to be run at aspecific time.

The client application 102 can simultaneously receive multiple workflowapplications at any one time, and the instant data store 410 iseffectively a first-in, first-out queue that stores these applicationsand processes them one by one until the instant data store 410 is empty.

The interactive system has the ability to make a sequence ofinstructions persistent on the mobile device 106 as an application.These sequences are identified by a unique label and are stored in thepermanent data store 412, being in this embodiment the non-volatileflash memory 312. The application gateway 104 can issue commands toupdate or delete applications in the permanent data store 412.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating the life cycle of an executioninstance of the client application 102 following receipt of aninstruction from an application gateway 104. However, the clientapplication 102 can be invoked at step 502 by either a new data event ora timer event. A new data event occurs when the client application 102is activated by the mobile device 106 when new payload data addressed tothe client application 102 is received. Timer events are set by aspecific instruction that suspends execution of the instruction to alater date/time. The workflow engine 408 is responsible for schedulingthe client application 102 to start and process the instruction set atthat date/time.

Once invoked, at step 504 the instruction sequence is retrieved eitherreading data from the instant data store 410, in the case of a Timerevent, or from the input channel in the case of a new data event. If theinstruction data is retrieved from the input channel and is encrypted,at step 506 the client application 102 decrypts and verifies it asdescribed below. If the data is valid, the workflow execution begins atstep 508.

The workflow execution 508 processes the instructions step by step. Thismay or may not involve user interactions (as some instructions describedin the Appendix can be handled without user interaction). Upon executionof a timer instruction specifying that execution should be postponed toa later time, further execution of instructions of the workflowapplication is suspended and the instruction set is stored placed in theinstant data store 410 pending resumption at the specified time.

Once the workflow execution 508 is complete, the workflow application isremoved from the instant data store 410. If the application is marked aspersistent, the instruction set is saved to the permanent data store412. The user can then invoke the instruction set at any time.

At step 510, the information collected by the workflow execution 508 issent back to the application gateway 104 as response data. The clientapplication 102 encrypts the response data in addition to including theunique message ID that verifies the authenticity of the response data.

As shown in FIG. 6, the application gateway 104 includes an instructioncompiler 602, a key manager 604, a message receiver 606, a messagesender 608, an opt-in manager 610, persistent storage 612, and anapplication programming interface (API) 616.

The instruction compiler 602 translates workflow descriptions receivedfrom the developer 116 into a format that is optimized for delivery toand execution by the client application 102. The workflow description iswritten in a scripting language that is compiled by the instructioncompiler 602. The developer can enter the workflow description directlyinto a text box and submit its contents to the compiler 602. This istypically used to rapidly prototype the look and feel of a workflowapplication. Alternatively, the workflow description can be submitted bymaking an API call to the compiler 602 from a high-level programminglanguage such as C#, Java, or TCL, thus providing end-to-end applicationintegration,

The message sender 608 encrypts the workflow instruction set. Theencryption relies on requesting the key manager 604 to provide a randomindex and an encryption key that is specific to a particular user device106 on which the instructions are to be executed. The index is sent incleartext to the client application 102, which uses the index to look upthe appropriate encryption key to decipher the message. The messagesender 608 also generates a unique random identifier for the workflowapplication. The random identifier is a combination of a randomidentifier and an identifier of the party who sent the workflowdescription.

The message sender 608 uses the transport adapter 614 to deliver theactual message(s) containing the workflow application. The messagesender 608 first checks with the Opt-in manager 610 to ensure that theclient application 102 does not receive unsolicited applications whichit has not opted into, as described below.

The transport adapter 614 abstracts the various methods of delivering aninstruction set to the client application 102 on the mobile device 106.It uses device capability information stored in the persistent storage612 to determine the capabilities of the device 106 and hence the bestcommunication channel to deliver the message(s).

The transport adapter 614 provides plug-in support for new channel typesdynamically by providing a set of messaging APIs and by allowing dynamicloading of compiled code that implements a new messaging interface. Ifrequired, the transport adapter 614 reformats the instruction payload sothat it can be delivered via a particular channel. In particular, anapplication delivered by SMS may have to be divided into two or moresmaller messages due to SMS message size limitations.

The key manager 604 is responsible for generating, distributing andmanaging the encryption keys issued to the portable device 106, asdescribed below. It also provides encryption and decryption facilitiesfor the message sender 608 and the message receiver 606.

The opt-in manager 610 provides an opt-in, opt-out process to allowclient applications 102 select the entities they are willing to receiveinstruction sets from. This is desirable because the application gateway104 may be shared by multiple parties and the client application 102will otherwise execute any received instruction set as long as it isvalid. The opt-in manager 610 maintains in the persistent data store 612associations between parties and the phone numbers (or, in the case ofdevices other than telephones, other form of address or identifier ofthe destination device) they are allowed to send applications to. Theprocess for creating these associations can be dynamic to allow users toselectively block or allow instructions from particular parties. Forexample, FIG. 8 shows the message flow for an opt-in process.

At step 802, a party uses the external application 124 executing on thecomputer system 118 to send a workflow description to the applicationgateway 104, which at step 804 compiles and formats the instructions inpreparation for sending them to a client application 102 that has notopted in. At step 806, the message sender 608 first checks whether theclient application 102 has opted in. If not, at step 808 it asks theopt-in manager 610 to determine the opt-in status for this party andthis user device. At step 810, the opt-in manager 610 sends an opt-inrequest message to the user, asking whether they agree to receiveapplications from this party. If the response is yes, at step 812 theopt-in manager 610 stores this information in the persistent data store612 and then at step 814 instructs the message sender 608 to send theinstruction set at step 816. Otherwise, if the response is no, then themessage sender 608 fails and notifies the party at step 818 that theuser has not opted in.

Alternatively, the opt-in process could be performed manually, forexample, by using a form that enables the user to directly add entriesto the persistent data store 612. Alternatively, an analogous processcould be used to opt-out of receiving applications from a particularparty.

The message receiver 606 receives messages from the client application102 and communicates with the transport adapter 614 to receive responsesvia any of the supported transport channels and protocols, includingGPRS, IP network, Bluetooth, and SMS. For example, the instruction setof the interactive system allows instructions to be received by onephysical channel/protocol (e.g., SMS), and a corresponding response tobe delivered by another (e.g., Bluetooth).

When a message is received, the message receiver 606 first logs themessage for audit purposes. Then it checks the authenticity of themessage by deciphering the message using the key manager 604, andexamining the unique message ID and the party ID to confirm that theymatch what was sent out.

Once the message authenticity is established, the message receipt islogged for billing and auditing purposes. Finally, the response messageis processed as required by the party. This may include emailing theparty; logging it to a file for the party to collect; and/or making arequest to a third-party application to process the message. The actualmethod(s) used to process the response message can be specified whencalling the API. If the API call does not specify a processing method,then the response is processed using the default method configured forthe corresponding developer, determined when the developer establishesan account with the provider of the interactive system.

The persistent storage 612 is a non-volatile storage component that isused by:

-   -   (i) the key manager 604 to store the encryption keys for the        various mobile devices;    -   (ii) the message sender 608 to store the addresses of user        devices 106 (e.g., phone numbers in the case of the device 106        being a telephone), together with the delivery mechanisms that        each user device 106 supports. It also stores the identifiers of        the messages that have been sent out, for verification purposes;    -   (iii) the message receiver 606, to store received messages for        audit and billing purposes; and    -   (iv) the opt-in manager 610, to store opt-in data representing        each user device 106 and the third party applications that are        authorised to send instructions to each user device 106.

Encryption Keys

As described above, each installed instance of the client application102 on a user device 106 is identified by a unique client identifier(also referred to herein as the client ID number) that is associatedwith its phone number. When a client application 102 is first installedon a mobile device 106, a number of private encryption keys aregenerated and associated with the client ID.

As shown schematically in FIG. 9, these encryption keys are then used bythe client application 102 to authenticate the payload data and toencrypt the response data. On each payload or response data packet ormessage, the index of the appropriate encryption key is indicated in theheader of the payload.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the message and process flowfor generating and updating encryption keys on a client application 102and an application gateway or backend system 104. The process isinitiated by the client application 102 making a secure communicationactivation request to the application gateway 104 at step 902. Inresponse, the application gateway 104 generates and stores a set ofprivate encryption keys, and associates these with the client ID at step904. At step 906, the application gateway 104 sends these newlygenerated private keys to the client application 102. The clientapplication 102 stores the received private keys on the persistentstorage 412 at step 908, and returns an acknowledgement to theapplication gateway 104 at 910, confirming that the private keys havebeen stored (or updated if the keys had been previously stored). Thiscompletes the generation/update steps and secure communication isactivated at step 912. This involves encrypting a message payload usingone of the private encryption keys, which can be selected at random oron any other basis at step 914. At step 916, the secured payloadencrypted with the selected key is sent to the client application 102,together with a message header specifying the index of the selectedencryption key. At step 918, the client application uses the encryptionkey index indicated in the header to select the appropriate private key,and uses that key to decrypt the payload data at step 918. Afterperforming the application instructions specified by the payload, theclient application 102 then encrypts the response at step 920. Theresponse can be encrypted using the same key, as shown in FIG. 10, orany other of the stored keys. The secured response is sent to theapplication gateway 104 at step 922, and the response is decrypted usingthe appropriate response key at step 924. As will be understood by thoseskilled in the art, the use of private encryption keys greatly improvesthe security of communication, and the use of a set of encryption keys,rather than a single key, further increases this security.

When sending a response message, the client application 102 uses thesource address of the corresponding payload data by default. Thiseffectively provides multiple client-server communication channels inbetween the backend 104 and the client application 102. For example,FIG. 11 shows an arrangement whereby two instances of the clientapplication 102, a first instance 1002 and a second instance 1004, arein communication with two instances 1006, 1008 of the applicationgateway 104, via a wireless communications network 110. A message 1010sent from the first backend system 1008 to the second client application1004 includes an address 1012 of the first backend system 1008 in theheader of the message 1010 so that when the client application 1004sends the corresponding response 1014, it is addressed to the firstbackend system 1008.

In contrast, FIG. 12 shows the same arrangement whereby a message 1102also includes the address 1012 of the first backend system 1008.However, workflow instructions contained in the payload data can alterthis default behavior by redirecting the response to another backendserver instead. This mechanism is activated by a DIVERT command in thepayload data, described further in the Appendix. Specifically, in thismessage 1102 the payload 1104 includes a divert instruction with theaddress of the second backend system 1006. Consequently, after thesecond client application 1004 executes this instruction, the response1106 is addressed to the second backend system 1006, rather than thefirst backend system 1008 that originated the message 1102 containingthe instructions. Because the second backend system 1006 does not havedirect access to the client ID and message ID pair, or the encryptionkeys for the client application 102, the second backend system 1006calls an API of the first backend system 1008 to check the integrity andauthenticity of the response data. If the payload was encrypted, thenthe first backend system 1008 decrypts the payload and sends it back tothe second backend system 1006 over a secured communications channel(using SSL, for example). In an alternative embodiment, the encryptionkeys are stored in a centralised component of the interactive system,and all encryptions and decryptions are performed in this manner.

Communication Data Payload

The payload exchanged between the client application 102 and the backendsystem 104 is binary data—a sequence of bytes. The communication channelfor this payload can include SMS or Cell Broadcast Service (CBS)messages; IP/TCP data packets (over GPRS, 3G or other type of datanetworks); and/or Bluetooth data packets.

As shown in FIG. 13, each data payload is prefixed with a header 1204which indicates whether the payload is encrypted with an encryption key.The header data contains the index of the encryption key stored in theclient application key-storage, thereby allowing the client application102 to decrypt the payload data.

As shown in FIG. 14, plain payload data (either unencrypted or afterbeing decrypted) contains a series of variable-length data parts thatinstruct the dynamic workflow execution engine 508 of the clientapplication 102 to construct the user UI workflow.

As shown in FIG. 15, each data part includes type 1402 and length 1404data fields, followed by the actual instruction data 1406. The typefield is a single octet or byte that defines the type of workflowinstruction that follows. The length indicates the number of octets orbytes of the instructor data 1406.

As described above, the interactive system is able to use one or more ofa variety of different communication channels for sending and receivingmessages and responses between the application gateway 104 and theclient application 102. For most of these different communicationchannels, the communication itself is straightforward, using thestandard methods and libraries available and known to those skilled inthe art. However, the interactive system supports message and responsedelivery via the short message service, or SMS. SMS is defined in theGSM 03.40 specification, which defines an upper limit on the size ofeach SMS message. Specifically, each SMS message is capable ofcontaining up to 140 bytes of data, equivalent to 160 ASCII characterswhen using 7-bit encoding, as shown in FIG. 17. The interactive systemsends SMS messages including 8-bit (binary) data and including a 7-byteuser data header or UDH 1702, as described in the GSM 03.40specification. The UDH 1702 consists of a length field or UDHL, 1704,specifying the length of User Data Header in bytes as specified in GSM03.40, and a 6-byte User Data Header field 1706 specifying thedestination address of the payload data 1708.

The UDH data 1702—specifying the destination of the binary message—isinterpreted by the mobile device to deliver the payload data to theclient application 102. Excluding UDH data 1702, each SMS message iscapable of carrying 133 bytes of payload data 1708.

If the payload data exceeds this length, the payload data is sent in twoor more SMS messages 1804, each message containing up to 127 bytes ofpayload data 1806, 1808, as shown in FIG. 18. These SMS messages 1804have a section of User Data Header indicating that they all belong to aconcatenated message, as described in the GMS 03.40 specification. Abyte padding mechanism is used by the backend system 104 and the clientapplication 102 when the payload is sent in multiple SMS messages. Inthis mechanism, a padding or termination byte 1810 with value 0xFF isappended to the end of each payload data fragment 1806, 1808 when sentout from the backend system 104. The client application 102 removesthese padding bytes 1810, which appear as stuffed bytes 1812 in theconcatenated payload data before passing the payload data 1814 to theworkflow execution engine 408. The byte padding mechanism is used toeliminate problems found in a number of mobile phone models that stripout the last byte of every concatenated data fragment.

The instruction compiler 602 creates the payload data from the compileroutput to generate binary SMS messages. Construction of binary messagesincludes splitting the payload data 1802 into multiple SMS messages 1804if the data length exceeds the single message capacity of 133 bytes.FIG. 19 is a flow diagram showing the steps involved in this process.

As shown in FIG. 19, when delivering a message or a response via SMS, atstep 1902 a check is performed to determine whether the size of thepayload data exceeds 133 bytes. If not, then at step 1904 a user dataheader is added, and a single SMS message is composed and sent at step1906. Alternatively, if the payload length does exceed the maximum sizethat can be sent in a single SMS message; then at step 1908 aconcatenated message identifier is generated, and at step 1910 thenumber of concatenated messages that are required to accommodate thepayload data is determined. Then, a processing loop consisting of steps1912 to 1920 composes the appropriate number of SMS messages as follows.At step 1912, the next payload portion is selected and copied to thepayload of the current SMS message. At step 1914 a user data header isadded, including the identifier indicating that the SMS message is partof this SMS message set. At step 1916, a padding or termination byte isappended to the payload data, as described above. Finally, at step 1918the resulting SMS message is sent. These steps 1912 to 1918 are repeateduntil the test at step 1920 determines that the last part of the payloaddata has been sent, and the process then terminates.

Removal of stuffed bytes in the payload data is handled by the clientapplication 102 by searching for the specific stuffed byte octet value(0xFF in this embodiment) and removing it from the payload data, asshown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the fifteen differentinstructions supported by the interactive system, showing the respectivetype bytes identifying each instruction type, and the structure of thecorresponding instruction parameters. Further details on the variousinstructions are provided in the Appendix.

Dynamic Workflow Execution Engine

The client application 102 presents to the user a number of userinterface (UT) widgets 406 as well as executing user-invisible routines.This allows the client application 102 to display information as well ascapture device information and/or user inputs.

The UI widgets 406 typically include the following type of userinterface components and controls:

-   -   (i) Message screen: to show textual information;    -   (ii) Selection menu: to ask for the user's selection of one of a        number of defined choices (i.e., radio buttons);    -   (iii) Multiple choices: to ask for user's one or more choices        (i.e., check boxes);    -   (iv) Textual input: to retrieve free form text input from the        user (textbox);    -   (v) Numeric or date inputs: to retrieve user input data,        restricted by type; and    -   (vi) Widgets displayed when branching and jumping amongst        execution steps.        However, this list of UT widgets 406 and their actual screen        layouts can vary depending on the platform (i.e., on each        combination of device hardware and operating system software) on        which the client application 102 is installed.

The client application 102 implements a workflow execution process 2100,as shown in FIG. 21, on each invocation to execute a workflowapplication. The workflow execution process 2100 begins after the clientapplication 102 is invoked at step 2102, and a test is performed at step2104 to determine whether the invocation has resulted from the receiptof new payload data from the application gateway 104. If so, then atstep 2105 the new payload instructions are retrieved, and then parsed atstep 2110. Otherwise, if the invocation was not due to the receipt ofnew payload data, then a test is performed at step 2106 to determinewhether instructions are contained in the instant data storage 410. Ifso, then the instructions are retrieved from the instant data storage410 at step 2108, and then parsed at step 2110. Otherwise, another testis performed at step 2132 to determine whether any sets of instructionshave been saved as applications in the permanent data storage 412. Ifnot, then at step 2134 an information message is displayed to the userindicating that there are no applications (instant or permanent) in thequeue. Once the user acknowledges this information message, or when acorresponding timeout period has elapsed, the client application 102 isterminated. Alternatively, if the permanent data storage 412 containsone or more permanently stored sets of instructions (i.e.,applications), then at step 2136 these are displayed to the user, andthe process 400 pauses at step 2137, awaiting the user's selection ofone of these, or selection of a quit option. If, at step 2138, it isdetermined that the user has selected the quit option, then the clientapplication 102 terminates. Otherwise, the user has selected apermanently stored set of instructions, and these are retrieved at step2140, and then parsed at step 2110.

Following parsing of the workflow instructions at step 2110, the firstor next workflow instruction is read at step 2112, and executed at step2114. If it is determined at step 2116 that the instruction is a UIinstruction, then the process waits to receive user input at step 2118.Once the user's response has been received, at step 2120 the UI widgetdisplayed on the screen of the device 106 is remove& and any user inputis stored at step 2122. At step 2124, a test is performed to determinewhether the instruction was the last in the workflow. If not, then theprocess loops back to step 2112. Otherwise, once all of the instructionshave been executed, then a response message is composed at step 2126,and sent at step 2128. If the workflow instructions executed are storedin the instant data storage 410, then they are deleted at step 2130.This terminates the workflow execution process 2100.

Parsing Workflow Instructions and Response Data

The workflow execution engine 408 of the client application 102interprets the payload data parts and generates the dynamic UI workflowaccordingly.

The data parts from the payload data are indexed sequentially when readby the workflow execution engine 408, and, this is also the defaultorder of workflow execution 508. As shown in FIG. 22, the response dataincludes each response in the same order as the correspondinginstructions were received and executed. When a workflow instruction isexecuted and response data is to be retrieved, a parameter name isincluded in the instruction data, and the user response or systemresponse is associated with this parameter in the response. All theinstruction responses are included in the response data when theworkflow is completed, as shown in FIG. 23.

Jumping and Branching in the Workflow

The workflow execution engine 408 provides a mechanism to allowbranching and jumping in the sequence of instructions.

Branching

Because an instruction might be involved in different branches throughout the workflow, the workflow execution engine 408 differentiates theinstruction response data for different branches using branch domains. Abranch domain specifies the address of a workflow instruction in theworkflow tree. When setting the instruction response data, the responseparameter name is prefixed with the corresponding branch domain,separated by a period character. For example, an instruction to retrieveuser input for a numeric-valued parameter with the parameter name“number” could be called from two different branch menus: one named“First branch”, and the other named “Second branch”. In both of thesecases, the instruction returns the same parameter name “number” but withdifferent values. The workflow execution engine 408 associates a branchdomain with the parameter name to differentiate the two response values.Thus in this example, the first value is returned as “Firstbranch.number=xxx” and the second value as “Second branch.number=yyy”,where “xxx” and “yyy” represent the actual values entered by the user.FIG. 25 shows a more complex example where menu selections are nested.

Additionally, the branch domain is appended with a branch name onselection of a branch menu. For example, in an application with twonested branch menus 3902 “Service Request” and 3904 “Water Service” asshown in FIG. 39, when the user selects item 3910 “Water” in menu 3902,and then selects item 3912 “Pipe Burst” in the subsequent branch menu3904 “Water Service”, and then fills out 3914 with “John Doe” in thetext input screen 3906 “Your name”, the client application 102 willinternally send the response as “Water.Pipe burst.name=John Doe”. Whenthe BRANCH_BACK command is executed, the previous branch name isremoved. The workflow execution engine 408 uses a branch name stack tomaintain the order of branch names as they are selected.

For usability reasons, when working with a multiple branch menu, it isimportant for the user to know whether or not a branch has already beenvisited by the user. To this end, the workflow execution engine 40Sindicates visited branch menu items by displaying an image adjacent tothose branches to indicate that they have already been visited by theuser. For example, as shown in FIG. 27.

When the user has visited user input screen 2702 to enter data 1, animage icon 2706 is displayed adjacent to the first branch menu item 2704is marked with distinct. This allows user to visually distinguish thoseparts of the workflow that have been visited from those parts that havenot been visited. Alternatively, the visited branches could be displayedin a different colour, as used by web browsers to indicate that ahyperlink has been visited.

Backward Navigation

As shown in FIG. 28, all of the user interface screens include a “Back”navigation button 2802 to allow the user to return to the previousscreen within the workflow. The position of this back button can changedepending on the specific mobile device platform executing the clientapplication 102. As shown in FIG. 29, the workflow execution engine 408maintains an ordered list or stack of instructions that cause a changein the screen or display, and selection of the “Back” button causes theexecution to return to the previous instruction.

Sending a Workflow Description to the Instruction Compiler

As described above, a developer, 116 can send a workflow description tothe instruction compiler 602 of the application gateway 104 bysubmitting programming instructions written in the programming languagesupported by the instruction compiler 602, using a hypertext transportprotocol (HTTP) interface of the instruction compiler 602. For example,FIG. 30 is a screenshot of an HTML webpage generated by the applicationgateway 104. The webpage includes a scrollable text box 3002 into whichthe developer 118 can directly enter commands in the scripting language,and a compile button 3004 which, when pressed, submits the text in thescrollable text box 3002 to the instruction compiler 602 forcompilation.

The scripting language of the interactive systems is a high levellanguage for describing the workflow of an interactive application. Itis similar in vein to BASIC and can be learn quickly by a programmer whohas a basic knowledge in programming.

Alternatively, a workflow description can be sent to the instructioncompiler 602 by invoking API calls to the application gateway API 616.For example, FIG. 31 shows a source code listing of a J2ME functionSendWorkflowRequest that is used to generate and send workflowinstructions to the mobile telephone 106. In this example, the workflowinstructions are to display booking details to the user 120 and thenretrieve the user's response indicating whether the user 120 accepts orrejects the booking, together with the user's name and telephone number.The workflow API is first initialised by creating (at 3102) a new J2MECommand( ) object named WorkflowCommand. A workflow header, as describedbelow, is then added at 3104. Workflow instructions are then added inthe order of desired execution by calling APIs that are provided asmethods of the WorkflowCommand object. Each type of workflow instructionis added by calling a corresponding API function with a set ofparameters. For example, the object method AddInfoMessage is used (at3106) to add an instruction that displays a screen of information to theuser. The first argument to this method provides a title for the screen,and the second argument provides the actual text information that isdisplayed. Similarly, the method AddSingleMenu adds (at 3108) aninstruction that displays a single-level menu (i.e., radio buttons) tothe user, allowing the user to select one item from a list of itemsprovided as a parameter to the method. In this example, the two itemsare displayed as “Accept”, and “Reject”, and the user's responseindicates whether the user 120 accepts or rejects the booking.

The method AddUserInputCmd (at 3110 and 3112) displays a text string tothe user, together with a textbox, prompting the user to enter anappropriate input value. The first parameter to this function finds thename of the parameter that will be associated with the returned inputvalue. The second argument provides a string that is displayed to theuser, and a third argument allows the developer to restrict the type ofinput; for example, to a phone number, email address, and so on.

Finally, the AddRedirectHeader method (at 3114) defines a return addressor phone number to which the response will be redirected, as describedabove. The communication channel to be used (e.g., whether by SMS, IPnetwork, Bluetooth, etc) is also specified in the header.

Once the workflow instructions are added, the workflow API is calledagain (at 3116) to compile the instructions and build the payload datato be sent to the client application. The workflow API is called as manytimes as needed (at 3118) to send multiple messages if required.

Scripting Language Overview

-   -   Instructions are written line by line.    -   Comment lines start with //    -   Label lines start with #    -   String parameters, are delimited by double quote characters “ ”

Workflow-Programming Structure

Commands are processed sequentially line by line. Three instructions areprovided to create tree structures of the workflow: BRANCH_TO,BRANCH_BACK, and GOTO. BRANCH_TO and BRANCH_BACK are used in combinationto create a subroutine for the compiled program. GOTO is a jumpinstruction that allows program execution to jump to a specified line inthe script. Comment and blank lines are ignored by the instructioncompiler 602.

Command Line Syntax

A command is a line in the script which has the following structure:

-   -   <Command Name> <String Parameter> <String Parameter> <Label>    -   Where:        -   <Command Name> is a command.        -   <String Parameter> is a qualified string value, i.e.,            delimited by double quote characters. For example, “User            name” is a string parameter. There can be more than one            string parameter in each command.        -   <Label> is the name of the label that is associated with the            command. Labels can only be used with the GOTO command and            the ITEM command when used in conjunction with BRANCH_TO            command.

Comment

There is no block comment in the language, Comment lines are lines thatstart with // (two forward slash characters followed by a spacecharacter).

-   -   Example:    -   // this is a comment line

Label

A label is a way to mark a line number so that it can be referred to inGOTO and BRANCH_TO's ITEM commands. A label line starts with # (hash)character, followed by a space character. The label name is the nextword from the # character.

-   -   Example:    -   For label START, the line looks like this:    -   # START    -   The label name is mapped to the index (i.e., relative position        in the script) of the command immediately following the label        line.    -   Labels in a script must be unique, a compile error occurs if a        duplicate label is detected. All labels are parsed in the first        pass of the compiler, building a mapping of label and command        index to be used in the second pass.

Backward Navigation

As described above, a “Back” navigation button is attached to alldisplayed screens by default. This button allows backward navigation ofthe workflow executed on the user device 106. On most mobile phoneplatforms, this “Back” button is mapped to the right action key.However, this can change depending on the type of phone.

Tree Navigation

A combination of the BRANCH_TO command, labels, and the BRANCH_BACKcommand allows the workflow to support a tree like execution structure,as shown in the source code listing of FIG. 32 and the resulting displayscreens of FIG. 33. A detailed description is provided below. When auser is navigating thought workflow screens, the state of each screen(item selection and user inputs) is not remembered.

Example

The following is a source code listing that is used to generate aninteractive application for execution on a user device such as themobile telephone 106. The source code defines a workflow that allows theuser 120 of the mobile telephone 106 to generate a service request forwater, electricity, and/or gas services. The listing is arranged in fourgroups of commands or paragraphs under respective labels. The firstparagraph, labeled START, results in display of a main screen 3402, asshown in FIG. 34. The BRANCH_TO command has two parameters. The first,“serv” defines a branch name for this branch, and the second parameter,“Service Request” defines the title that is displayed at the top of themain screen 3402. The subsequent three commands define items that can beselected by the user to invoke corresponding workflow branches. Forexample, the first ITEM command has two parameters. The first parameter,“Water”, defines the text 3404 that is displayed on the main screen3402, and that can be selected to invoke the corresponding workflowbranch. The second parameter, in this case “WATER”, is a label of thecorresponding workflow branch, in this case referring to the secondgroup or paragraph of commands grouped under that label. Thus if theuser navigates the main screen 3402 to select the first item 3404, theworkflow jumps to the SELECT ITEMS, causing display of a water serviceselection screen 3406. In this case, the three items are simply menuselections (rather than workflow branches), and thus selection of anyone of these items causes the appropriate parameter, in this case named“water” to be assigned a value defined with the corresponding item. Forexample, if the user selects the second item, “Leaking” 3408, then theparameter “water” is assigned the value “Leaking”. Once this item hasbeen selected, the workflow proceeds to the following command, which inthis case is the BRANCH_BACK command, which returns control to the mainscreen 3402.

In this manner, the user can select the Electricity item 3410 to branchto the ELECTRICITY workflow, resulting in display of a Electricityservice screen 3412. Similarly, the user can select the “Gas” requestitem 3414 to cause a Gas service screen 3416 to be displayed. Once theuser is satisfied with the service requests thus defined, selection ofthe Next button 3418, or the OK button 3420 causes execution to continueto execute in this example the command “GOTO CONTACTS”, which causes theworkflow to jump to the command following the CONTACTS label, being inthis case an INPUT command displaying a name input screen 3422, andsubsequently a Contact number screen 3424. Once the OK button 3426 onthe Contact numbers screen 3424 has been selected, a MESSAGE commandcauses display of a Service Info screen 3428 providing informationalfeedback to the user, in this case confirming that the service requestwill or has been sent to an appropriate party for processing the user'srequest.

// Start of program # START BRANCH_TO “serv” “Service Request” ITEM“Water” WATER ITEM “Electricity” ELECTRICITY ITEM “Gas” GAS GOTOCONTACTS # WATER SELECT “water” “Water service” ITEM “Pipe Burst” ITEM“Leaking” ITEM “New connection” BRANCH_BACK # ELECTRICITY SELECT “elect”“Electricity service” ITEM “Fire” ITEM “New connection” ITEM“Disconnection” BRANCH_BACK # GAS SELECT “gas” “Gas service” ITEM“Leaking” ITEM “New connection” ITEM “Fire” BRANCH_BACK // This is likea subroutine # CONTACTS INPUT “name” “Your Name” ANY INPUT “phone”“Contact Number” NUMERIC // message is sent here //# END MESSAGE“Service Info” “Your request will be sent to XXXX”

Script Commands and Syntax

HEADER Command

The HEADER command is used to include a specified piece of text at thebeginning of the response message when the workflow has been executed.This command is invisible to the user of the user device. This commandis used as a context identifier for server-client conversation.

There can be multiple header commands in the script. When using theHEADER command in conjunction with the BRANCH_TO command, differentresponse message prefixes can be set, based on the user's selection.

Syntax

HEADER <header>

-   -   <header> is a string parameter to be prepended to the response        text message.

Example

HEADER “timesheet”

Response

<header> is attached to the beginning of the response message. If thereare multiple headers to be included in the response message, theresponse headers are prepended based on their execution order in theworkflow.

DIVERT Command

The DIVERT command is used to redirect a response message to a telephonenumber or address different from that of the source of the originalinstructions. Normally, the response message is sent back to the sourceaddress of the payload, but the response message can be sent back toanother number instead by including a DIVERT command in the workflow.This command is invisible to the user. There can be multiple DIVERTcommands in the scripts but the last one that is executed in theworkflow takes effect. When combining this command with the BRANCH_TOCommand, the workflow can send a response message to a source numberselected by the user.

Syntax

DIVERT <address>

-   -   <address> is a string parameter representing the mobile number        of the redirected address.

Example

DIVERT “+61418366896”

MESSAGE Command

MESSAGE command shows a message with a tide and message content to theuser.

Syntax

MESSAGE <title> <message content>

-   -   <title> is a string parameter for of the title of the message to        be displayed.    -   <message content> is a string parameter.        The end result is display of a screen as shown in FIG. 35.

Example

MESSAGE “Hello” “Hello world”

Response

This GUI screen does not collect any user input and no response data isassociated with it.

INPUT Command

This command displays a GUI screen with a text input box 3602 to theuser to retrieve user inputs, as shown in FIG. 36. A parameter name isprovided in the command to set the name of the user input data whenincluded in the response message. A default input value can be providedas an input parameter. If desired, the user input data can be restrictedto a certain types such as numeric, decimal or a phone number. However,the implementation of user input restriction depends on the capabilityof the user device executing the client application 102.

Syntax

INPUT <return parameter> <label> <type> <default value>

-   -   <return parameter> is a string parameter for the name of the        entered value to be set in the return message.    -   <label> is the title of the input text box    -   <type> is the type of the input to be captured, these types are        available:        -   ANY        -   EMAILADDR        -   NUMERIC        -   PHONENUMBER        -   URL        -   DECIMAL    -   <default value> is an optional string parameter to be set to the        input text box when the screen is visible to the user. If        omitted, the default value of the input text box is left empty.

Response

User input data is included in a response message associated with aparameter name specified in the corresponding instruction. If the INPUTcommand is executed in a branch routine (see BRANCH_TO command) then anydomain path applicable will be prefixed to the parameter name.

-   -   <return parameter>=<value> (without domain path)    -   <domain path> <return parameter>=<value>    -   Where:        -   <value> is a string value that user enters. This can be an            empty value.        -   <domain path> is the path of branches that lead to this            INPUT command in the workflow.

GAUSS Command

This command results in the display of an interactive screen having aslider or “gauss” control 3702 to prompt the user to providecorresponding response data, as shown in FIG. 37. The user is able toslide the slider control from a minimum value to a maximum valuespecified on the command fine. The resulting data is included in theresponse message associated with the parameter name given.

Syntax

GAUSS <parameter name> <minimum value> <maximum value> <default value>

-   -   <parameter name> is a string parameter for the name of the gauss        value to be set in the return message.    -   <minimum value> is the minimum value the user can select.    -   <maximum value> is the maximum value the user can select    -   <default value> is the default value if the user does not select        any value. This parameter is optional so if it is not present,        the default value is empty.

Example

GAUSS “temper” “1” “10” “5”

Response

If this command is executed in a branch routine (see BRANCH_TO command)then any domain path applicable will be prefixed to the parameter name.

-   -   <parameter name>=<value> (without domain path)    -   <domain path> <parameter name>=<value>

GOTO Command

This command allows the workflow execution engine 406 to jump to aspecific workflow instruction, rather than proceed to the nextinstruction in sequence. A parameter of this command is the label of theinstruction for the workflow execution to be directed to. There is nouser screen or response data associated with this instruction.

Syntax

GOTO <label>

-   -   <label> is the label name indicating the index the command that        the workflow execution jumps to after executing this command.

Example

.... GOTO Hello // The program jumps to message hello world afterexecuting this command. ... ... # Hello MESSAGE “Hello” “Hello world”...

SELECT, SELECT_MULTI Command

As shown in FIG. 38, these commands display a screen with a list ofitems to select from. The SELECT command allows single item selection,and the SELECT_MULTI command allows multiple item selection screen. Theuser selection is included in the response message identified by theparameter name. In case of multiple selection list, the selected valuesare separated by a delimiter character in the response value data.

Syntax

SELECT or SELECT_MULTI command is followed by ITEM definitions (one perline).

SELECT <parameter name> <title> ITEM <item name> ITEM <item name> ITEM<item name> SELECT_MULTI< parameter name> <title> ITEM <item name> ITEM<item name> ITEM <item name>

Where:

-   -   <parameter name> is a string parameter specifying the return        parameter id for the SELECT screen.    -   <title> is a string parameter specifying the title of the        screen.    -   <item name> is a string parameter specifying the item to be        displayed on the screen.

Example

// This example allows the mobile user to select one of the optionlisted SELECT “tsk” “Select task” ITEM “Administration” ITEM “Servicedesk” ITEM “Client meeting” // This example allows mobile user to selectone or many of user names in the list SELECT_MULTI “name” “Select users”ITEM “User 1” ITEM “User 2” ITEM “User 3”

Far multiple select command, each of the items in the select list isdisplayed adjacent to an icon that indicates whether or not the item hasbeen selected by the user. On most mobile devices, a “Mark” button isdisplayed to allow user to mark the selection of the highlighted item. A“Next” button is also attached to this screen to allow the user tonavigate to the next workflow instruction. On some mobile deviceplatforms, the Next button is mapped directly to one of the mobile phonebuttons.

Response

SELECT command: <parameter name>=<item> SELECT_MULTI command: <parameter name >=<item>;<item>;<item>

Where:

-   -   <item> is the item name as selected

The multiple select response can be empty.

BRANCH_TO Command

This command provides users a list of items to select, and on selectionof an item, execution of the workflow is branched to the specifiedcommand. The behavior of this screen is similar to the SELECT screendescribed above. Once the workflow execution starts executing from thenew target instruction, it follows the default sequential order. Whenthe BRANCH_BACK command is executed, the workflow execution enginereturns to the previous BRANCH_TO command to execute. However, theBRANCH_TO command does not require a BRANCH_BACK command to operate. Theworkflow can consequently branch to the last command without returningto the branch menu.

To progress to the next screen from a BRANCH_TO command, a “Next” buttonis provided. On some phones, this button is mapped to one of the phonekeys on the mobile device. On most phones however, this button is mappedto a soft-key named “Next” when the user select Options on the BRANCH_TOscreen (similar to SELECT_MULTI command).

There is no specific user value attached to this screen in the responsemessage. The selected branch item is however appended to the branchdomain path. This domain path is then appended to the parameter name ofany input screens being executed in the branch target.

Syntax

BRANCH_TO command is followed by ITEM definitions (one per line).

BRANCH_TO <parameter name> <title> ITEM <item> <label> ITEM <item><label> ITEM <item> <label>

Where:

-   -   <parameter name> is a string parameter specifying the return        parameter id for the BRANCH_TO screen.    -   <title> is a string parameter specifying the title of the        screen.    -   <item > is a string parameter specifying the item to be        displayed on the screen.    -   <label> is a valid label name as specified in the workflow with        “#” character.

Examples

... # EnterBetAmount INPUT “bet” “Enter bet amount” DECIMAL BRANCH_BACK.... # SelectBetAmount SELECT “bet” “Select bet amount in dollars” ITEM“100” ITEM “200” ITEM “300” BRANCH_BACK .... BRANCH_TO “b” “Select teamto bet” ITEM “Melbourne” EnterBetAmount ITEM “Geelong” SelectBetAmountGOTO END ... # END MESSAGE “Info” “Please select Yes to allow responsemessage to be sent”

Response

-   -   The domain path is appended with <item> selected in the branch        menu.    -   This domain path is then appended to the parameter name of any        input screen executed in the branch target. In the example        script, the “bet” amount parameter name when appearing in the        response message is: Melbourne.bet=<bet value>.

BRANCH_BACK Command

This command is invisible to the user, it provides the capability tonavigate back from branching. A workflow could have multiple brancheswired up and the result is a tree like structure. BRANCH_BACK commandallows navigation upwards in this tree structure. Combination of labeland BRANCH_BACK command allows combining a group of workflow commands into a routine, which can be referred to multiple times during theworkflow execution.

Syntax

BRANCH_BACK

STORE_PERMANENT Command

This command instructs the workflow execution to store the whole payloaddata to persistent storage. A title is set in the parameter of thiscommand allows the client application to display the stored payload datato the user. This command does not result in any user data in theresponse message.

Syntax

STORE_PERMANENT <title>

Where:

-   -   <title> is a string parameter indicating the title of workflow        payload data to be displayed in the persistent list. This        persistent list is displayed to the user when the client        application is started manually by the user and no instant        payload data is waiting to be executed.

Example

STORE_PERMANENT “Message one”

CLEAR_PERMANENT Command

This command clears all the persistent workflow payload data previouslysaved by STORE_PERMANENT command. Execution of this command does notresult in any data in the response message.

Syntax

CLEAR_PERMANENT

EXECUTE Command

This command makes a request to the mobile device operating system toretrieve an URL address. The results could be making a phone call orlaunching the internet browser on the phone to the specified URLaddress. Behavior of this command might varies across different devicemodels due to device capabilities.

Syntax

EXECUTE <url_address>

Where:

-   -   <url_address> is a string parameter describing the URL address        of the request to be sent to the J2ME platform.

Example

To make a mobile phone call to +61418366896 mobile number

-   -   EXECUTE “tel:+61418366896”    -   To launch the internet browser on the mobile phone to access        ACME mobile website EXECUTE “http://mobile.acme.com”

Response

If making a mobile phone call is required, the mobile device will askuser if a mobile phone call can be made. If launching of the internetbrowser is required, the application will ask for the user's permissionto open the internet connection to the specified URL.

CONFIGURATION Command

The response message is constructed from the user/system data. A numberof default delimiter characters are used to separate the data parts aswell as name-value separator. This command when included in the payloaddata can change the delimiter characters of the response message as wellas specifying whether or not the name part is included in the responsemessage.

Syntax

CONFIGURATION <configuration_string>

Where <configuration_string> is composed of configuration characters:

-   -   1^(st) character: Include parameter in the response, if set to        ‘0’, the response message only has values, set to ‘1’, the        response message has Name=Value    -   2^(nd) character: Response part delimiter, the default is ‘,’    -   3^(rd) character: Equal character, the default is ‘=’    -   4^(th) character: Multiple selection options, the default is ‘;’    -   5^(th) character: Screen path delimiter, the default is ‘.’

Example

CONFIGURATION “0,=;.”

This configuration command instructs the workflow execution to excludeparameter names from the response message.

SYSTEM_PROPERTY Command

This command instructs the workflow execution to read a system propertyand return the result in the response. The parameter name that isassociated with the response data is the system property if parametername is omitted.

Syntax

SYSTEM_PROPERTY <property_name> <parameter name>

Where:

-   -   <property_name> is the system property to be read. On the J2ME        platform, examples of these properties are:        -   microedition.profiles        -   microedition.configuration    -   <parameter name> is an optional string parameter. If omitted,        property name is used as parameter name in the response instead.

Examples

SYSTEM_PROPERTY “microedition.profiles” SYSTEM_PROPERTY“microedition.profiles” “midp”

Response

The value of the system property is included in the response message asname=value pair. All the rules applied to the name-value pairs areapplied. These include changing of delimiter parameters and whether ornot to include the name part in the response message.

-   -   <system property>=<value> (if parameter name is omitted)    -   <parameter name>=<value> (if parameter name is present)

NOP Command

This is a no-operation command. It is useful when used in conjunctionwith labeling.

Syntax

NOP

SET_KEYS Command

A command to set the encryption key specified by the index of the key onthe mobile device.

Syntax

SET_KEYS <key_index> <key>

Where <key_index> is a string parameter indicating the index of the keyto be set on the client application 102. <key> is a string parametercontaining the actual key to be updated.

Many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention as hereinbeforedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It will be apparent from the description above that the interactivesystem and process described herein allow a developer to dynamicallysend on demand customisable workflow instructions to one or more userdevices 106 such as mobile telephones. The generation, secure delivery,execution, and secure return of response data to the developer are allhandled transparently by the interactive system, thus hiding all thedetails of these aspects from the developer, greatly simplifying theprovision of interactive applications and quasi-real-time interactionswith one or more users. The provision of workflow instructions via SMSis particularly advantageous as it can be assumed to be supported by allmobile telephones available today. Moreover, since the SMScommunications are all managed by the interactive system, any premiumSMS services that may be required can be established by the operator ofthe interactive system, thus freeing the developer from needing toestablish their own independent premium SMS services. This greatlysimplifies the provision of new interactive applications, and alsoallows the operator of the interactive system to provide these servicesat a lower cost by leveraging the substantial volume of SMS trafficresulting from the aggregation of SMS traffic or all developers usingthe interactive system.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown inthe specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive.

1. A method of delivering an instruction to a mobile user deviceconnected to a network, the method comprising the steps of: receiving aninteractive workflow; translating the interactive workflow into theinstruction in a form executable by the mobile user device; and sendinga message including the instruction to the mobile user device.
 2. Amethod as defined by claim 1 wherein the step of receiving theinteractive workflow includes the step of receiving the interactiveworkflow coded in a high level programming or scripting language.
 3. Amethod as defined by claim 1 wherein the step of receiving theinteractive workflow includes the step of receiving the interactiveworkflow from an external or third party.
 4. A method as defined byclaim 1 wherein the step of sending the message includes the step ofsending a set of instructions for execution by an application installedon the mobile user device.
 5. A method as defined by claim 4 wherein thestep of sending the set of instructions includes the step of sending theset of instructions for the device to interact with a user of the mobileuser device.
 6. A method as defined by claim 5 wherein the step ofsending the message includes the step of sending a unique messageidentifier.
 7. A method as defined by claim 6 further comprising thestep of the mobile user device receiving the set of instructions and theunique message identifier.
 8. A method as defined by claim 7 wherein thestep of the mobile user device receiving the set of instructions and theunique message identifier includes the step of receiving the set ofinstructions for translation to mobile user device system codes by aworkflow execution engine component of the application.
 9. A method asdefined by claim 7 further comprising the step of receiving a responseto the instruction from the mobile user device.
 10. A method as definedby claim 9 wherein the step of receiving a response includes the step ofreceiving a response identifier from the device.
 11. A method as definedby claim 10 wherein the method comprises the step of comparing theunique message identifier and the response identifier to confirm theauthenticity of the received message.
 12. A method as defined by claim 1wherein the step of translating the instruction includes tailoring theinstruction to a device operating system.
 13. A method as defined byclaim 1 wherein the mobile user device is one of a plurality of mobileuser devices and the method also comprises the step of receiving aspecification of the mobile user device from a database comprisingrespective specifications for the plurality of user devices.
 14. Amethod as defined by claim 13 wherein the step of translating theinteractive workflow includes tailoring the instruction to thespecification.
 15. A method as defined by claim 1 wherein the step ofsending the message includes one or more preliminary steps ofcompressing, encoding and encrypting the instruction.
 16. A method asdefined by claim 1 wherein the step of sending the message includes thestep of sending the message via a Short Message Service (SMS) of acellular network.
 17. A method as defined by claim 16 wherein the stepof sending the message via SMS includes the step of splitting themessage into a plurality of messages to comply with one or morestandards of the SMS.
 18. A method as defined by claim 1 wherein thestep of sending the message includes one or more of the steps of sendingthe message via a Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) of a cellular network,sending the message as an IP/TCP data packet over a GPRS or 3G network,and sending the message as a data packet over a Bluetooth connection.19. A method as defined by claim 1 also including the step of checkingif the mobile user device is willing to receive the instruction derivedfrom the interactive workflow.
 20. A method as defined by claim 19wherein the step of checking involves sending a request to the user ofthe mobile user device to accept the instruction derived from theinteractive workflow.
 21. A method as defined by claim 3 wherein thestep of receiving the interactive workflow includes the preliminary stepof receiving a request for an Application Programming Interface (API)from the external or third party.
 22. A method as defined by claim 21wherein the step of receiving the interactive workflow includes thepreliminary step of opening an Application Programming Interface.
 23. Amethod as defined by claim 1 also comprising the step of issuing acommand to the device to update or delete a sequence of instructionssaved to a permanent data store on the mobile user device.
 24. Computersoftware comprising executable directions for delivering an instructionto a mobile user device connected to a network, the directionscomprising the steps of: receiving an interactive workflow; translatingthe interactive workflow into the instruction in a form executable bythe mobile user device; and sending a message including the instructionto the mobile user device.
 25. A method of delivering an instruction toan application installed on a user device connected to a network, themethod comprising the steps of: receiving an interactive workflow;translating the interactive workflow into the instruction in a formexecutable by the application; and sending a message including theinstruction to the application at the user device.